OG Strain Pulls Up to the Catskill Cannabis Cup and Accidentally Has a Better Day Than Planned

By OG Strain

You know a day is starting off questionable when you wake up, look outside, and the sky itself seems undecided.

Saturday morning for the Catskill Cannabis Cup Spring Fling looked like one of those days where Mother Nature rolled out of bed, forgot what season it was, and chose violence.

Clouds. Drizzle. Gray skies. One of those mornings where your motivation level drops lower than the bottom of a grinder.

And I’m not gonna lie…

Earlier that morning I had already been running my mouth on Facebook.

First I said if it was raining I might not even come.

Then I posted again basically saying—

“Guys… it’s not looking good.”

That’s when Danni jumped in and told me to man up because he was supposedly riding a motorcycle all the way from Lake George in the rain.

Challenge accepted.

But plans are plans.

Before heading out, I had to make a special pickup.

I scooped up Kiley from Lazy Day Farm because my man was operating under what doctors would probably describe as “less than ideal driving conditions.” Kiley had hurt his leg after falling off an A-frame ladder and was moving around in a cast and on crutches. Driving was off the menu.

So naturally… we loaded up and hit the road anyway.

When we got there?

Instant comedy.

The parking attendant took one look at us and apparently decided we qualified for the Cannabis Cup Mobility Assistance Program.

One CEO on crutches.

One guy who had already had one hip replaced and still had the other side waiting its turn.

Next thing you know—we got blessed.

Close parking.

Side entrance.

VIP treatment.

No long walk.

No complaints.

Sometimes life rewards perseverance. Sometimes it rewards showing up looking like two guys who absolutely were not trying to set any personal distance records that day.

As soon as we got inside, the first stop set the tone for the entire event.

HIGHER BEINGS BROUGHT THE HEAT

First tent we hit was Kevin and the crew over at Higher Beings powered by Hudson Valley Green.

Now originally Danni Burns was supposed to be there too.

Which made this especially funny.

Because remember…

Earlier in the day Danni publicly told ME to man up and drive through the rain.

So I manned up.

I showed up.

And when I got there…

where was Danni?

Nowhere.

Apparently the motorcycle speech and the actual motorcycle attendance ended up being two separate events.

To be fair—we’re busting chops here.

Kevin wasn’t alone.

Kevin had the crew.

And they were holding it down the whole time.

But Danni’s business partner definitely had to carry the Higher Beings flag without his other half physically there that day.

So I’m officially taking a tiny playful victory lap on behalf of everybody who got called soft online and still showed up.

With that said—

Kevin and the crew did not disappoint.

The standout item?

A flower called Good Burger.

Listen.

I don’t say this lightly.

This stuff reminded me of the ORIGINAL New York haze.

Not “inspired by.”

Not “haze-like.”

Not “contains notes of.”

No.

This was one of those jars where you crack it open and immediately start mentally calculating whether your bank account can survive poor financial decisions.

I grabbed two ounces.

And now I regret not grabbing more.

Because according to Danni…

Sold out.

Gone.

Finished.

Extinct.

Like every strain you fall in love with.

NEVER SLEEP ON GILLY GREENS

Another surprise appearance?

John Gilboy from Gilly Greens.

This was actually my first time seeing him vending in person.

And apparently he pulled up fresh off harvest.

Fresh batches.

Fresh trim.

Fresh temptation.

I grabbed a quarter of White Flamingo and a quarter of Big Perm and I’m not exaggerating when I say I still randomly remember I own them and become emotionally invested all over again.

You know those jars you keep checking even though you already know they’re still there?

That.

If you run into Gilly Greens at an event and keep walking…

that’s on you.

THE HIGH TOLERANCE HEADQUARTERS

Then I made my way over to one of the more dangerous tents for people with self-control issues.

Irv from Smuggles 518 was set up collaborating with Exotic Exchange under the same tent.

And together?

That setup was basically the advanced class.

Irv was bringing the genetics and clones.

Exotic Exchange came loaded with all kinds of canna products.

One thing that stood out immediately?

Their 3000mg THC sour belts.

They also had rosin-filled donuts and enough heavy-hitting options that if your tolerance level still thinks dispensary gummies are “strong,” this booth may have humbled you.

Again—great energy.

Great people.

And definitely one of those spots people kept circling back to.

LONG OVERDUE: MEETING WOODZ TREEZ

One of the coolest moments of the day was officially meeting Woodz Treez.

We’ve followed each other online for a long time.

One of those situations where eventually the universe goes—

“Alright enough internet. Shake hands already.”

And that’s exactly what happened.

But Woodz Treez wasn’t riding solo.

They were collaborating for the event with Best Buds, another Utica-based brand.

And these guys had traffic.

Their infused prerolls were moving like hot cakes.

They had hash holes.

They had tinctures.

People were grabbing and going all day.

You could feel that booth had momentum.

Great energy.

Good people.

Utica represented.

THE VENDORS THAT MADE PEOPLE STOP WALKING

Another vendor I have to mention was Early Bird Gets the Best.

What made them stand out?

They were the only vendor I personally saw offering RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) syringes.

That immediately caught my attention.

But that wasn’t all—they had several other canna goodies that kept people hanging around.

Then there was 2 Menches.

And if you know…

you know.

These guys came through with that NYC exotic flower energy.

But what made their setup memorable wasn’t just the menu.

They were letting people sample flower through a Volcano—that legendary bag-filling vape setup.

And I’m not gonna lie…

they also had some flower packaged in some absolutely ridiculous X-rated packaging that was somehow funny enough to justify paying extra just to see what all the commotion was about.

Another booth worth mentioning was Shamba Boy Farms, who were serving up premium flower and attracting serious attention from people who knew what they were looking at.

And then there was one of the standout introductions of the day—

WHEN JOHNNY APPLEKUSH SAYS “COME HERE”

One vendor impressed Johnny Applekush so much that he personally pulled me over and introduced me.

That brand was Home Grown Creations.

And after checking them out…

I understood.

Premium home-grown flower.

Infused drinks.

Cookies.

Other canna goodies.

And some genuinely exotic strains.

One that stood out?

A strain called Wifey.

That was one of those booths where people walked in curious and walked away doing mental budget rearranging.

EDIBLES, FROST & NEW CONNECTIONS

I also met the crew behind Home of the Infused Poundcake out of Troy, New York.

And they deserve credit because they were showing love all day.

They had infused baked goodies and were generously handing out samples to anybody who wanted to try them—as long as they didn’t have food allergies.

Another stop was Sceymoor Frost’s Premium Cannabis.

And somewhere in the mix I ended up having one of those random event conversations that turns into an actual connection.

I met Sammie from what I believe is Sammie Sativa out of Albany.

Not 100% sure if she was officially vending that day or just there networking—but either way she was awesome to talk to.

Good conversation.

Good energy.

Exactly the kind of interactions that make events worth going to.

And one more apology—

There was also a vendor there selling infused BBQ rubs, spices and sauces for the grill that honestly looked awesome.

I completely dropped the ball and didn’t catch the brand name.

That one’s on me.

APOLOGY TO THE VENDORS I FORGOT

Now before anybody messages me—

YES.

There were more vendors.

And YES…

I forgot some names.

That’s on me.

When you spend a day bouncing booth to booth, talking flower, filming, laughing, networking and trying not to accidentally spend your gas money on another jar…

some names escape.

But if we spoke and I missed you—

show me grace.

Talk to me two or three times and I’ll remember you forever next time.

That’s a promise.

THE DRINK THAT SAVED MY LIFE

One person I absolutely do want to remember by full name is Concrete Hustle Tony Toothpicks.

Tony hooked me up with what ended up becoming one of the most unexpectedly clutch purchases of the entire day—

a $20 infused lemonade.

At first I looked at the price.

Then I drank it.

Then I understood.

Cold.

Loaded with fruit.

Pineapple.

Orange.

Lemon.

Infused.

Hydrating.

Refreshing.

Honestly by the end of the day that lemonade felt less like a beverage and more like roadside assistance.

So shoutout to Concrete Hustle Tony Toothpicks for keeping people hydrated and elevated at the same time.

JOHNNY APPLEKUSH AND THE VIP WALKTHROUGH

Another highlight was Johnny Applekush showing love.

He came over, welcomed us, and took time to walk us around personally introducing us to vendors and pointing out booths that had some of the standout flower…

and some of the “special” stuff.

You know.

The jars people suddenly become very serious around.

That kind of hospitality matters.

Events become memorable because of people.

FROM STORM CLOUDS TO BLUE SKIES

And maybe the funniest part?

That gloomy rainy start completely disappeared.

Clouds broke.

Blue sky rolled in.

Sun came out.

By afternoon it turned into one of those days where everybody looked around confused like—

“Wait… wasn’t this weather supposed to be terrible?”

Turns out the Cannabis Cup survived.

And honestly?

Thrived.

FINAL HIT

The Catskill Cannabis Cup Spring Fling reminded me why these events matter.

It’s not just the flower.

It’s not just buying jars you absolutely did not budget for.

It’s the community.

It’s the stories.

It’s helping injured friends get there.

It’s meeting internet people in real life.

It’s discovering something so good you immediately regret not buying more.

And it’s remembering that even when the forecast says rain…

sometimes the best days still show up.

Also—

I filmed.

So if you want to actually SEE what the event looked like with your own eyes…

stay tuned because coverage is dropping soon on Strain’s Strain Reviews (Talk Cannabis).

Until next time—

I’m OG Strain.

Keep your jars sealed, your circles tight, and your parking attendants sympathetic.

By OG Strain

You know what I’m sick and tired of?

I’m sick and tired of people who wake up every single day just looking for somebody to tear down.

You know the type.

Every Facebook comment they leave is negative. Every post they make is hateful. Every interaction they have feels miserable. They scroll social media like it’s their full-time job to drain the energy out of everybody around them.

And honestly?

What kind of life is that?

I see these people everywhere online now. Somebody posts their artwork — they insult it. Somebody starts a business — they mock it. Somebody shares their happiness — they try to ruin it. Somebody speaks from the heart — they laugh at them.

It’s like some people genuinely cannot stand seeing positivity, growth, peace, success, love, or happiness in another human being.

That mindset is poison.

And what’s crazy is once you begin changing your life spiritually, once you begin walking with God, once you begin trying to live with love in your heart, you start noticing this darkness everywhere. It becomes impossible not to see it.

You begin asking yourself different questions in life.

“How can I help people today?”
“How can I make somebody’s day better?”
“How can I let God’s love work through me?”
“How can I bring peace instead of chaos?”

That’s where your mind starts going when your soul begins healing.

And when you reach that point, negative people become exhausting to be around because you realize they aren’t just “being funny” or “telling it like it is.” No — many of them are deeply miserable people trying to spread their misery to everybody else.

Energy vampires.

They walk into every room trying to suck the life out of it.

But here’s the beautiful part:

They cannot destroy people who truly carry love in their hearts.

They cannot destroy people protected by faith.

They cannot destroy people who genuinely want good for others.

People who walk with God don’t get angry over petty nonsense. They get angry when innocent people are being attacked. They get angry when bullies try humiliating good-hearted people. They get angry when cruelty becomes normalized.

That anger comes from defending what is right.

And I’m going to say something a lot of people probably need to hear:

If you spend your entire life spreading negativity, hurting people, insulting strangers, mocking dreams, attacking people online, and making everybody around you feel worse… what exactly is your legacy going to be?

Seriously.

Especially if you’re older.

You mean to tell me you’ve lived over fifty years on this Earth and still haven’t learned kindness?

Still haven’t learned empathy?

Still haven’t learned humility?

Still haven’t learned that life is short?

Whether you believe in God or not, why would you want your name attached to negativity forever?

Why would you want people remembering you as the person who constantly tore others down instead of lifting them up?

I don’t understand it.

And yes, this message is especially important for Christians because Jesus made it very clear how we are supposed to treat people. Scripture teaches us that what we do for others, we do for Him.

That matters.

But even if you are not religious, the message still applies.

Why hurt people when you could help them?

Why spread hate when you could spread encouragement?

Why become a storm in everybody’s life when you could become light?

That choice belongs to every single one of us every day we wake up.

One of the things that originally drew me into the cannabis community was the love I saw within it. I saw people supporting each other creatively. I saw friendships forming. I saw people helping each other heal. I saw music, art, laughter, conversations, and positive energy.

But at the same time, I also saw the darker side.

Jealousy.

Ego.

Cruelty.

Division.

People tearing each other down over nonsense instead of building together.

And that’s dangerous because this industry has the potential to become something bigger than cannabis itself. It can become an example of community, peace, creativity, healing, and humanity if we allow it to.

We should be showing the world what unity looks like.

We should be making friendships instead of enemies.

We should be supporting each other instead of competing with bitterness.

We should be creating positive spaces where people feel welcomed instead of attacked.

The world already has enough hatred in it.

It already has enough division.

It already has enough miserable people trying to infect everybody else with their misery.

So maybe — just maybe — the cannabis community can choose to become something different.

A place where love outweighs ego.

A place where kindness outweighs cruelty.

A place where helping people matters more than humiliating them.

Because at the end of the day, nobody remembers the person who sat online hating on everybody.

People remember the ones who helped them through dark times.

People remember the ones who inspired them.

People remember the ones who showed love when the world felt cold.

So if this article somehow reaches one of those people who spends every day spreading negativity online, I genuinely hope you hear me:

Change before it’s too late.

Start your mornings with gratitude.

Appreciate what God has given you.

Appreciate your parents, your family, your home, your life, your opportunities, your blessings.

Then try giving some positivity back to the world.

Because humanity needs more healers.

Not more hateful commenters.

• OG Strain

By OG Strain for Plugs Pages Magazine

There’s a strange disease spreading through the 518 this spring.

No, not pollen allergies.
Not seasonal depression.
Not even that mysterious condition where your dealer suddenly “fell asleep” right after you sent the money.

I’m talking about Lame-itis.

And Schenectady might officially be patient zero.

Now don’t get me wrong — there’s still some solid people holding it down for the cannabis community. The Growers Gathering by Damn Sam was a good time. Crisxotics always got motion. The Canna Mafia got events popping almost every weekend. There’s raffles, prizes, smoke sessions, music, networking, and enough weed floating around to make Willie Nelson forget where he parked his horse.

But here’s the problem nobody wants to say out loud:

Half the people showing up aren’t there to vibe.
They’re there to vend.

Everybody got a table. Everybody got a QR code. Everybody got business cards. Everybody selling something. Which is cool — that’s part of the culture too. Hustling is respected.

But where are the people just showing up to support?

Where are the people who come out with no agenda besides hanging out, smoking, laughing, and showing love to the community?

Because lately it feels like if you ain’t selling eighths, T-shirts, mushrooms, exotic soda, glass pieces, moon rocks, moon dust, moon shoes, or moon-flavored oxygen… people act like there’s no reason to leave the house.

And honestly? That sucks.

Memorial Day really drove it home for me.

I literally invited people over to review weed with me. That was the entire mission. No cover charge. No catch. No pyramid scheme. No “opportunity.” Just come smoke free weed and talk about strains.

You didn’t even need to bring weed.
You barely needed to bring pants.

Just lungs.

That was it.

I had strains lined up like a cannabis buffet. Different flavors, different highs, enough variety to make Snoop Dogg tear up emotionally. I put the invite out publicly. Open door. Pull up.

And somehow…
nothing.

A couple people tried to come through and had stuff happen last minute, so respect to them at least. But overall? It felt impossible just to get people together to smoke free weed.

FREE.

WEED.

Do you understand how insane that sentence sounds in 2026?

At this point, if you can’t get people to come smoke free weed, either the economy is broken or everybody secretly became Amish.

That’s when it hit me:

Schenectady doesn’t just need more events.

Schenectady needs a real cannabis lounge.

Not a smoke shop with LED lights and one folding chair in the corner.
Not some place pretending to be “420 friendly” because they sell incense and a Bob Marley flag.

I mean a REAL canna lounge.

A place built specifically for the cannabis community to gather, chill, smoke, laugh, network, trade buds, review strains, freestyle, play games, watch movies, and exist together without everybody trying to sell each other something every five seconds.

Picture this:

You walk in and instantly get hit with that warm cloud of loud. The lighting is dim with black lights glowing purple and green. Old-school stoner rock mixes with underground hip hop in the background. There’s lava lamps bubbling in corners like tiny psychedelic volcanoes.

Couches everywhere.

Not cheap waiting-room couches either. I’m talking dangerously comfortable couches. The kind you sit in and immediately forget your social security number.

Coffee tables covered in glass art. Ashtrays on every table. Giant dab rigs bubbling like chemistry experiments. Hookahs. Gravity bongs. Rolling trays the size of cafeteria lunch trays.

One room got old-school video games.
Another room got movies playing on projector walls.
Another room is just bean bags and vibes.

Maybe there’s a “Flavor Chamber” where people sample different terpene profiles like wine tasting for stoners.

“Ah yes… this one has notes of citrus, diesel, bad decisions, and unpaid parking tickets.”

Maybe there’s a “Moon Room” — some wild sealed chamber where people step inside while smoke fills the whole thing like a Cheech & Chong spaceship. Ten minutes later you walk out speaking fluent reggae and trying to high-five furniture.

Maybe local growers host taste-test nights.

Maybe local artists perform live.

Maybe there’s comedy nights where half the comedians forget their jokes halfway through and everybody laughs harder because of it.

Maybe there’s membership cards.

Maybe there’s lockers for your glass pieces.

Maybe there’s a giant terpene menu on the wall like a restaurant.

“Tonight’s specials include:
Garlic Funk, Banana Melt, and a strain called Divorce Papers that’ll have you reorganizing your entire life at 2 AM.”

And most importantly:

NO ALCOHOL.

None.

This ain’t a bar fight environment.
This ain’t people screaming over tequila shots and punching vending machines.

This is a cannabis sanctuary.

A chill zone.

A place people actually WANT to be.

Because the truth is, the cannabis community in the 518 has something special already. The people are here. The growers are here. The talent is here. The passion is here.

What’s missing is a home base.

A place where community matters more than transactions.

A place where people can build real friendships instead of just exchanging Instagram handles and disappearing into the smoke like a side quest NPC.

And whoever creates this first in Schenectady?

They’re going to print money.

Because people are starving for connection right now. Everybody’s isolated. Everybody’s trapped online. Everybody’s liking posts instead of living life.

The first person who creates a real, comfortable, creative, safe cannabis lounge in Schenectady is going to accidentally build the hottest spot in the entire 518.

And honestly?

I’ll probably be there so often they’re gonna start charging me rent.

If you build it, we will blaze it!